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    Originally posted by chuckChuck View Post
    Canada’s record-breaking wildfires in 2023: A fiery wake-up call

    In 2023, Canada is facing a formidable challenge: record-breaking wildfires. These fires are fuelled by record high temperatures and widespread drought conditions across the country. To what extent can climate change be linked to these events? Scientists from around the world did a rapid turn-around study to find answers.

    Canada’s 2023 wildfire season is the most destructive ever recorded, and it’s not over yet. By September 5, more than 6,132 fires had torched a staggering 16.5 million hectares of land. To put that in perspective, that’s an area larger than Greece and more than double the 1989 record. Normally, an average of 2.5 million hectares of land are consumed in Canada every year. And unlike previous years, the fires this year were widespread, from the West Coast to the Atlantic provinces, and the North. By mid-July, there were 29 mega-fires, each exceeding 100,000 hectares.

    “The word ‘unprecedented’ doesn’t do justice to the severity of the wildfires in Canada this year,” says Yan Boulanger, research scientist in forest ecology at Natural Resources Canada. “From a scientific perspective, the doubling of the previous burned area record is shocking.”

    Learning from this year’s fires

    Yan and two other Canadian Forest Services scientists — Jonathan Boucher and Sandy Erni — were part of an international team of 16 scientists involved in a rapid research study focused on Quebec’s wildfire season. The team found that climate change more than doubled the likelihood of extreme fire weather conditions in Quebec.

    The study was conducted by World Weather Attribution ([url]https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/[/url]) (WWA), a group that looks at how climate change affects the intensity and likelihood of an extreme weather event. These studies are done very quickly, and while it’s important to note that this report hasn’t been peer reviewed yet, the study used peer-reviewed methods.
    June 3, 2023 — The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ([url]https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/about/[/url]) (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua ([url]https://aqua.nasa.gov/[/url]) satellite captured this view of smoke billowing from Quebec fires on June 3. On June 1 more than 120 fires were ignited in a single day, and as of June 5, more than 150 wildfires ([url]https://sopfeu.qc.ca/en/[/url]) were active in Quebec. (NASA Earth Observatory image of the Quebec wildfires by Lauren Dauphin, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview)




    Why study Quebec? Well, Canada is so big that it’s difficult to gather data from across all time zones to capture data across the country from coast to coast in a timely manner. Also, Quebec had an early start to the devastating 2023 wildfire season. Warm and dry conditions appeared in early May, setting the stage for June and July. On June 1, more than 120 fires were ignited by lightning in just one day. “Climate change is greatly increasing the flammability of the fuel available for wildfires because the trees, fallen trees, and underbrush are all so dry,” explains Yan. “This means that a single spark, regardless of its source, can rapidly turn into a blazing inferno.”

    From June 1 to 25, more land burned in southern Quebec than in the previous 20 years combined. These conditions led to the largest single fire ever recorded in southern Quebec, which consumed 460,000 hectares. With all this, it’s no wonder scientists are trying to find out what’s going on.

    Researchers used Natural Resources Canada’s Fire Weather Index ([url]https://041gc-my.sharepoint.com/personal/barbara_ustina_nrcan-rncan_gc_ca/Documents/stories/Fire%20season%202023%20wrap%20w%20Yan/cwfis.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca[/url]) (FWI), a metric that combines temperature, windspeed, relative humidity and precipitation to estimate the level of fire danger. To assess the effect of hot and dry weather conditions from January to July, the scientists also calculated the Cumulative Daily Severity Rating from the FWI.
    Aftermath of a wildfire near Kelowna, B.C. This year’s fire activity could also impact forest carbon balance, biodiversity, and disrupt local businesses, forest sector economies and Indigenous communities. (photo: Getty Images)

    The role of climate change

    “There’s no question, extreme weather, record high temperatures and dry conditions caused by climate change intensified this year's wildfire crisis,” says Jonathan.

    Canada experienced its warmest May to July period in over 80 years, breaking previous national temperature records for the two-month period by 0.8°C. To quantify the effect of climate change on weather, scientists used weather data and computer model simulations to compare the pre-industrial climate to today’s conditions, after about 1.2°C of global warming since the late 1800s. The study found that climate change made the extreme intensity of this fire season at least two times more likely than under preindustrial climate while the persistence of these conditions were at least seven times more likely. Furthermore, they found that wildfire-prone weather conditions in Quebec were 50 percent more intense because of climate change caused by human activity, while the peak intensity recorded was 20 percent higher.


    Assessing events such as wildfires and weather presents a unique challenge. Jonathan emphasizes the need to constantly update climate models to account for ever-evolving weather patterns. “For instance, this summer’s record temperatures and low humidity in Quebec was extreme by today’s standards,” he says. “But they could be the norm by the end of the century.”
    Thx Chuck&PASTE
    You bring such cheerful news at this time of year

    Comment


      Strange that for the last 2000 + years our climate was much more unstable than now… Evil and world war… is a 1000x more likely to create Armageddon.
      Denial of the Great Creator’s existence… and Humanity’s need to be forgiving and humble… will destroy our planet… not C02 / greenhouse gasses and carbon credits.

      Antifa, BLM…the denial of our western civilization’s requirements for the 10 commandments to govern democratic nations… is destroying our children and environment.

      Merry Christmas! Many Blessings! The fear and arrogance didn’t destroy the creator of the earth and humanity then, we pray for humble spirits and forgiveness… to guide humanity this Christmas 2023!!!

      Peace on Earth and hood will to all Humanity!!!
      My family… 1966!

      Comment


        BTW, never before in the history of Humanity…. Have so few farm families grown such an abundance of Wonderful healthy food… with so little energy and water….

        Astounding how ungrateful these Cop 28 eco-terrorists…who burned magnitudes of fossil fuels… to condemn rational efficient common sense food production . Hypocrisy unlimited.

        Blessings!

        Comment


          Tearing down ATL Edmonton 100 years young… not efficient enough…

          Comment


            9:12 am , sun just coming up
            still no snow , nothing for the next 7-10 days
            nice weather to enjoy for now

            Comment


              Originally posted by foragefarmer View Post

              Just wondering, isn't it tough going brush cutting with the warm weather? We've always done it in the dead of winter when the ground is frozen solid as the poplars and willows shear off at ground level so easily.

              It's also easier piling windrows with the ground frozen as the blade travels on top and you don't get roots pulling out full of dirt.

              I'm just curious is all.
              Ideally it nice to walk the bush all down with a little frost in the ground. That way all the stumps come out and get pushed into the piles. If it stays cold the frost will freeze it all hard when you push it all into a pile with very little dirt.
              Conditions are always different and very seldom ideal but this year is good going because there is very little snow. The last few years heavy snow coming in early November makes the job much harder.
              Last edited by seldomseen; Dec 10, 2023, 18:03.

              Comment


                Originally posted by chuckChuck View Post
                Trees and wetlands are a huge sink for carbon and provide other ecological goods and services. If you want to be paid for sequestering carbon with zero tillage then you should also deduct the sequestered carbon that is released when you drain wetlands and clear the bush.
                This is not a wetland and no drainage is required.
                If you are really concerned about the removal of trees you could just stop farming your fields and in a few years Mother Nature will reclaim them.

                Comment


                  Chuck you be so happy , we went full electric in shack now ..

                  Comment


                    Was a nice day

                    Comment


                      Originally posted by seldomseen View Post

                      This is not a wetland and no drainage is required.
                      If you are really concerned about the removal of trees you could just stop farming your fields and in a few years Mother Nature will reclaim them.
                      Very well said , Chuck should practice Lorne Culvert’s preaching ways and plant trees instead of crops . Great idea from that wizard
                      zero income for about 30-40 years

                      Comment


                        Originally posted by furrowtickler View Post
                        Chuck you be so happy , we went full electric in shack now ..
                        Nice size fillets.

                        Comment


                          Originally posted by furrowtickler View Post

                          Very well said , Chuck should practice Lorne Culvert’s preaching ways and plant trees instead of crops . Great idea from that wizard
                          zero income for about 30-40 years
                          Possibly not even any income after the 30-40 years either, the market could be non existent by then, mill closed down, who knows.

                          Comment


                            Originally posted by seldomseen View Post

                            This is not a wetland and no drainage is required.
                            If you are really concerned about the removal of trees you could just stop farming your fields and in a few years Mother Nature will reclaim them.
                            This is the correct way to asses this issue.
                            This is no different than the established farmer chastising the young farmer for buying land that is too expensive. Claiming land prices are too high, will never pay, and about to crash. To which I ask, when will you be selling yours, since the opportunity cost is there regardless if you pay for it today, or don't sell it at todays values.

                            Someone who inherited land which was cleared by his/her ancestors and doesn't return it to it's natural state, is no more or less virtuous than someone who takes the initiative to clear land in the modern era.

                            In fact, I would argue that clearing virgin land today, and managing it with today's farming practices will be far better for the environment than continuing to farm land cleared a century ago.
                            When I break new land, I incorporate as much of the deadfall, sticks, roots, litter, as possible. Breaking discs allow this to be possible. In the good old days much of this would have to be removed and burnt since the light equipment couldn't handle it. Or it would be buried deep with a breaking plow, never to be seen again.
                            My new breaking sees tillage once in the first year, then remains as no till from then on.
                            My new breaking gets all straw put back on, back in the days, all the straw was hauled off to the threshing machine and never made it back to where it came from.
                            On our grey wooded low OM soils, the OM and productivity drop off drastically within decades of breaking due to the high tillage methods of the past. I plan to maintain that high productivity with modern methods. The difference in soil is drastic.

                            According to the CBC, new forests sequester more CO2 than mature forests:

                            Young vigorous stands grow and sequester carbon at maximum speed. As stands get older, the tree canopy closes and individual trees begin to die off from self-thinning and other causes.

                            Very old forest stands can reach a sort of carbon neutral equilibrium state where trees are dying and decaying at approximately the same rate as they are growing back.
                            New growth forest may take up carbon at a greater rate than old growth forests (CBC / Radio-Canada)
                            So, taking into account both growth and mortality, 100 hectares of young forest will generally speaking have a higher net carbon capture rate than older but otherwise identical stands.

                            Paradis said that research has shown that the optimal landscape-level carbon sequestration policy may be to harvest and replant stands when they reach their peak growth rate. This is typically between 80 and 120 years old for most Canadian forest ecosystems, much younger than what is typically called old growth.


                            The most responsible thing Chuck could do for the environment, for CO2, and for soil health would be to let his land regress to its natural state for a few centuries while the soil rejuvenates, and let other farmers clear the mature forests instead.

                            Comment


                              Originally posted by blueversi View Post

                              Possibly not even any income after the 30-40 years either, the market could be non existent by then, mill closed down, who knows.
                              About 2000, my brother came home with his college education in something conservation (ish), and informed me that the best use for the quarter of land I had just bought was to seed it down to poplar trees to harvest in a few decades.
                              Ignoring the economic necessity of having no income to make the payments in the intervening decades, the next issue is that a few years later, the nearest pulp mill closed down.
                              The next closest is so far away that if they take any wood from this area it has to be free, and even then they rarely will take it, since trucking costs more than the wood is worth. There are piles of rotting poplars still left over from that era.

                              Comment


                                I kinda like Blaithins' idea of farming pics.
                                We can prove Chuck's faults any time. He makes it too easy, but it's time consuming lol.

                                Comment

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